The Life and Times of the Assistant CMO
by Darkwood Princess
Summary: These are the life and times of Assistant CMO Geoffrey Jabilo M'Benga, his ongoing mission: to survive life as second in command of medical on the galaxy's most danger prone ship.


**AN: Yeah, for some reason, this idea has stuck with me no matter what I do… I just feel that as a character, M'Benga get's ignored a lot. And it's not like he was a bad character, just one who didn't get a lot of the spotlight because of the main crew. Auxiliary guys like Kyle, M'Benga, Riley, Giotto, and Chapel were there to flesh out the story, but rarely got paid attention to (with the exception of the TOS episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of" which focused on Chapel). So without further ado… a story dedicated to Geoff. What is bold-italicized is thoughts, what is plain old font is action. Ensign McClanahan belongs to me though. **

_**So I got this new job right? And I love it, most of the time. You know, a brother takes what a brother gets, but then there are days when I wish I was back on Vulcan, among the ordered and serene members of that race and not aboard the chaotic reality that is the Starship Enterprise. Don't get me wrong, I love this ship and her crew. I just wish that sometimes, maybe just once, the captain could follow landing party protocol and not get the whole party de-aged to rambunctious ten year olds. **_

_** Thank heavens Spock is well behaved ten year old. **_

__"M'Benga, stop your wool gatherin and help me out here!" Christine Chapel shouts, grabbing a blond blur around the waist as he rockets towards the exit of sickbay. Even at the age of ten, James T. Kirk is a rascal, able to trick others into a sense of security and then bolt when the coast seems clear. Looking bedraggled, Christine glares at the child, willing him to just sit down so that she can run scans on the other de-aged crew members: a young Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Ensign Deanna McClanahan, waiting sort of patiently for her to check them over after the botched escape attempt.

_**How did we get into this mess? **_

" James Tiberius Kirk, sit down, that's an order!" M'Benga tries, holding in a frown at the look of pure stubbornness that crosses the miniature Captain's face.

_**How will I explain this to Mr. Scott? **_

"I don't have to listen to you, mr. You're not the boss of me." The young child sticks his tongue out and sulks as Geoffrey picks him up bodily and sits him next to the other children with a warning that he won't get any chocolate after dinner should he move again. For the moment this threat seems to play to Jim's sweet tooth, and a muttered, "Told ya we couldn' 'scape ya stupid ninny." is heard as Chapel runs her tricorder over their boss. M'Benga tries not to laugh at the pout on his Captain's face and instead worries that the quiet Ensign McClanahan may be planning something. The young woman was an engineer for a reason, and it wasn't because she had little imagination.

_**Might want to keep her and Mr. Spock away from each other, next thing we know they'll be reprogramming the machines to do who knows what… Oh hey! **_

__Leonard has grabbed M'Benga's pants leg, tugging it to pull the spaced out man's attention downward. Inquisitive blue eyes glare at him from the young face, a hint of the infamous frown already settling there.

"What's your name? We can't keep callin' ya Mr. The alien, Dee,and Jimmy might not know, but Ma taught me that it was good manners to ask a person's name when you meet 'em."  
><em><strong>Interesting, only together for half an hour and they already know each other's names. Wait, why is Spock 'the alien'? Argh…. Should I try to explain my name to a kid from rural Georgia? How is Jabilo going to go over? <strong>_

"My name is Dr. M'Benga." He smiles at them, hoping that the children can't sense weakness in a smile.

"Don't ya have a first name?" drawls Leonard, "Even the hobgoblin has a first name."

"Please refer to me as Spock, Leonard. I am not a mythical children's monster."

"I'm gonna call you Benga Benga if you don't give us a first name…" Jim threatens, swinging his legs back and forth from the top of the bio bed. Geoffrey frowns, trying to decide between the name he goes by and the name he was given at birth. Deciding that Geoff could turn into Geoffy (which he loathes), he goes with his birth name.

"It's Jabilo." _**There, that wasn't so bad. Right? **_

Leonard gives him a crafty look and proceeds to call him Bill, Billy-boy, and Lo for the duration of his stay as a ten year old. And the Captain and Ensign McClanahan follow the leader in their demonic game of name destruction.

Christine laughs. Until she is dubbed Christy, Chrissy, and Tine. Then she jabs them with the necessary hypo sprays and tries not to think about what will happen if they regain their memories upon reaging.

When they do return to their rightful ages, after a week of mayhem and madness where M'Benga's worries about rewired replicators, brilliant boy Captains, and mischievous mini CMOs are brought to fruition, the crew breathes a collective sigh of relief. When the afflicted landing party members accidentally call Geoffrey 'Bill' for a week afterwards, he cringes and ignores them.

Some things are better left unexplained.

_**Just another week on the Enterprise.**_


End file.
